From Indian Super League to the National Team: Moirangthem Thoiba Singh’s Journey

Moirangthem Thoiba Singh describes his journey to receive a call up for the Indian national team in the friendly match against Malaysia. He has also been a part of the Odisha FC in the Indian Super League.

Moirangthem Thoiba Singh has struggled a lot in his football journey, but it eventually paid off for the Odisha FC player in the India Super League. He also received a chance to play for the Indian National team, it felt to him like a dream come true.

Singh described his football journey, which had various challenges while growing in Manipur. He said,“When I started playing football, there was no ball to play with. I used to play with pomelos—that’s how I began.”This passion also helped him to get a place in the Indian national team.

He started with the Amofa Academy, where he got a chance to play for the district and state team. Further, Singh also got included to the Under-15 national camp but did not receive an opportunity to play in the tournament finals. Such setbacks helped him to show some determination, as he joined Minerva Academy. There he performed well and even got a spot in the senior team, helping him to get his way to the Indian Super League, playing for Odisha FC.

When he received a call up for the India's friendly match against Malaysia, he described the moment by saying,“After the Mohun Bagan match, we were having dinner, and I got a call from Ravi. He asked, ‘Are you going home?’ I said, ‘Yes, tomorrow morning.’ Then he told me, ‘Don’t go home, you’re going for the national camp.’ For a moment, I was silent and shocked. I still couldn’t believe it.”